“Continuing education programs are a vital – and yet to be fully
exploited – asset for the Submarine Force and a critical pillar of our
HCS. Worthwhile programs for career-minded officers are plentiful, one of which
is the Naval Postgraduate School’s (NPS) Executive Master of Business
Administration (EMBA) program.”

The summer of 2005 finds the world’s best Submarine Force on watch,
supporting the global war on terrorism and ensuring that our Force will
meet future threats. To facilitate this, we stand poised to usher in a
new submarine, the converted Ohio–class SSGN, and continually place
new submarines to sea with technologies that previous undersea warriors
could only imagine. Additionally, we continue to refine our Human Capital
Strategy (HCS), our comprehensive plan to build rewarding careers for every
member of the Submarine Force.

Continuing education programs are a vital – and
yet to be fully exploited – asset
for the Submarine Force and a critical pillar of our HCS. Worthwhile programs
for career-minded officers are plentiful, one of which is the Naval Postgraduate
School’s (NPS) Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA)
program. The EMBA program is available to those of you who will be on shore
duty in Norfolk, San Diego, or the Washington, D.C. area. This and other
fully funded programs are a key component of an officer’s resume
and help to build a better balanced Submarine Force. The EMBA program is
administered remotely by video teleconference. The two-year span coincides
well with a nominal shore tour. As exceptional an opportunity as this programs
is, we are underutilizing it. Of the more than 100 naval officers who participate
in the NPS course annually, we only fill 3 of the 14 billets allotted to
the Submarine Force. To learn more about the EMBA program, visit the website
at www.nps.navy.mil/gsbpp/emba/index.htm. For more about other education
programs, see our article, “Naval Postgraduate School Pushes USW
Envelope” on page 16 of this issue.

In other people news, this issue
contains guidance and vision from senior leaders of the Submarine Force.
On page 4, Vice Adm. Munns lays out his vision for the near future of our
Force and reflects back on some of the great strides made by submariners.
In the “Operational Depth” section
of this issue, the Submarine Force Master Chiefs, COMSUBFOR Master Chief
Petty Officer Dean Irwin and COMSUBPAC Master Chief Petty Officer Michael
Benko set forth the standards and tones that Chief Petty Officers should
model and reinforce with their Sailors.

I cannot complete my discussion
of people news without some words of farewell and welcome. The Submarine
Force said a heartfelt goodbye to Rear Adm. Paul Sullivan, former Commander,
Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet on April 20 as he retired after 35 years
of distinguished service. Rear Adm. Jeff Cassias now has the helm of the
Pacific Fleet Submarine Force. Rear Adm. Cassias previously served as Commander,
Submarine Groups 2 and 10, and Commander, Navy Region Northeast.

I wish
fair winds and following seas to Lt. Cmdr. Scott Young, our outgoing military
editor. Scott, who was dual-hatted as our N77 congressional liaison, is
returning to the fleet as Executive Officer of USS Henry
M. Jackson (SSBN-730).
And finally, I welcome aboard Scott’s relief, Lt. Cmdr.
Wayne Grasdock. Wayne comes to us from USS Philadelphia (SSN-690), where
he served as navigator.

Moving on to the hardware aspects of our business,
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are contributing to the global war on terrorism
by providing surveillance and force protection for our troops. Using this
technology for the photographic surveillance of submarines in port is an
option being explored by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). To learn
more about this, see the article on page 6.

To fully appreciate the work
that goes on behind
the scenes to support our Navy, on page 8 we learn about the Naval Surface
Warfare Center’s Carderock Division, one
of the most advanced research, design, and testing facilities
in the world. Carderock evaluates and hones all our
platforms, both current and future, to make them as stealthy and lethal
as possible.

Finally, I wish to thank the Naval Submarine League for their
support of our 7th Annual Photo Contest (see centerfold). As one can
see from the photos, the pride for all who serve in the Silent Service
runs deep. BZ to all who submitted photos.